Fallout from the Survivor Series
WWE had a busy run last weekend in Los Angeles as the company ran four shows at the Staples Center.
Fox executives were on hand to take things in and to get a better feel for what they will be getting when Smackdown begins to air on its network in October.
NXT delivered its typical standout TakeOver offering Saturday night as it always does. If you have the WWE Network and have not seen the show, check it out.
WWE delivered a strong Survivor Series card on Sunday that will be remembered for two matches, although the company made an odd move.
Every match on the card featured a Raw versus Smackdown match, and the Raw brand won every single one.
The two big matches saw Universal champion Brock Lesnar defeat WWE champion Daniel Bryan and Raw women鈥檚 champion Ronda Rousey defeat Charlotte Flair by disqualification.
Lesnar and Bryan told an amazing story in the ring in a big man versus smaller man match. It was one-sided at first in favor of Lesnar, but by the end, the duo told such a great story that fans legitimately were wondering if Lesnar would tap out to Bryan.
The match showed, that when motivated, Lesnar can go in the ring.
The Rousey and Flair match was incredible and may be the match of the year.
Flair getting DQ鈥檈d and beating Rousey down not only elicited applause from Rousey鈥檚 hometown crowd, but it also led Steve Austin to tweet that, 鈥減ro wrestling is back.鈥�
If you have not seen those two matches, they are a must for any pro wrestling fan.
The next night on Raw, the show was solid and built off its Survivor Series domination, but for as good as NXT, Survivor Series and Raw were, Smackdown deflated the room with a bad show.
Other than a promo by Bryan, the show made Smackdown feel like the 鈥淏鈥� show that it has long been considered.
Strowman out after surgery
The angle ran on Raw Monday night where Braun Stroman was laid out was to give him time off to have surgery on his elbow. He has been battling a bone spur and he is expected to be out for up to four weeks.
WWE is moving forward with a lineup for TLC with and without Strowman as he is scheduled to face Baron Corbin.
Styles negotiating new deal
AJ Styles and WWE are working on a three-year deal to keep the former two-time WWE champion with the company.
Styles is looking for a deal similar to Randy Orton鈥檚 which would allow him to work limited dates so that he can be home more with his four young kids.
Cena back on road
Starting the day after Christmas, John Cena will wrestle on a handful of Smackdown Live shows. However, this does not include the Dec. 29 show in Pittsburgh.
Starrcade special tonight
Long known as an NWA and then WCW staple, Starrcade was to those companies as to what WrestleMania has always been to WWE.
WWE ran its second Starrcade show last night, and a one-hour special will air tonight on the WWE Network. The show begins at 8 p.m.
On This Day 鈥�
In 1985, the first WWE 鈥渟crew job鈥� took place.
While wrestling fans who were alive in 1997 will never forget the 鈥淢ontreal Screw Job鈥� in which Shawn Michaels 鈥渄efeated鈥� Bret Hart, Wendi Richter was screwed out of the women鈥檚 title on this date in 1985 at Madison Square Garden.
Richter was so popular, partly in part to her connection to Cyndi Lauper, that she would often main event WWE house shows when Hulk Hogan was wrestling elsewhere.
WWE and Richter were negotiating a new deal and she wanted her lawyers to see the contract before she signed. It was a way for her to hold out for more money, and it backfired.
She was defeated by Spider Lady, who ended up being The Fabulous Moolah under a mask, when the ref did a fast count.
This week鈥檚 question
Why is WWE mentioning Roman Reigns on Raw as if they are using his battle with leukemia as part of the Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins storyline? Tim, Waynesburg.
The short answer is that Vince McMahon will use almost anything to further story lines and very few things are off limits in his book.
Personally, I am disgusted by it as the company doesn鈥檛 need to make light of the leukemia battle Reigns is going through. Making light of any health battle is wrong in my book.